


Portrait of a Lady

by AllKindsOfEverything



Category: Father Brown (2013)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-08-11 21:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7908073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllKindsOfEverything/pseuds/AllKindsOfEverything
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sometimes scenes come to my mind... I decided to write some of them down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He was hungover.  
Again.  
He should have been used to that feeling by now.  
It felt a little like being drunk just without the fun. He was still feeling fuzzy and couldn't walk in a straight line, but there was a throbbing headache behind his eyes and the feeling like he had licked a sheep on his tongue. Maybe he had. He could never be certain what he got up to once he crossed a certain point. _'A certain pint,'_ he chuckled at his own pun, regretting it immediately, when pain shot through his skull like a lightning bolt.  
Yes, being hungover was definitely not as much fun as being drunk.  
Getting out of his drunken stupor also made him remember that he was alone in the world. Tammy had left with that stupid slugger for whatever reason, and now that old Mother Dawson was dead he only had himself for company. It was bad being lonely. When you were drinking in the pub, you suddenly had a dozen friends and everything was fun and games again.  
But his money was running out and booze was much more expensive than he remembered. Mother had always helped him out when he had not been able to find anyone who needed an odd job done.  
The trouble with Kembleford was that there wasn't even much illegal work to get anymore. Not since that priest had helped shut down Johnny's little business the other week.  
At least he could still hunt a couple of rabbits. Maybe he could shoot a pheasant tonight; just had to make sure he didn't get caught. So the headache was a definite deal breaker.

Sid wasn't quite sure how long he had been lying there, in the grass in front of his trailer, stretched out like a starfish, his eyes closed.  
His head was throbbing in tune to what sounded like an engine; he groaned gratefully when it stopped. Were those footsteps approaching?  
The sun was still much too bright as he cracked an eye open and suddenly stared up into the face of an angel as she stood over him with the sun behind her.

"Hello," she smiled down at him.

Yes, definitely an angel; even her voice was divine. He couldn't quite get his body to obey him, so all he did was grunt in reply, trying to swallow the invisible cotton ball that seemed to have his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

The angel tilted her head to one side, "Am I correct in assuming that you are Sidney Carter?"

He rolled over on his side and slowly propped himself up into a sitting position. "Who wants to know?" He croaked, squinting up at her.

She reached out a gloved hand, her smile widening, "Lady Felicia Montague."

Angel.  
Wait. Montague? Lady? He suddenly felt a pang of panic. Had he poached anything lately? Of course he had. But would she know about that? No. Wait. It wouldn't be her coming to him if that were the case. Especially not, as a quick glance around verified, alone. Standing up as quickly as he could muster, he wiped his hand on his trouser leg and took hers at and odd angle, somewhere in between a handshake an kiss. "Sorry. Yes. Sid. Sid Carter. That's me." He felt the strange urge to bow, so he did as he added, "your ladyship."

"Splendid," she exclaimed, a delighted twinkle in her eyes. "Father Brown said I would find you here."

Her smile was as bright as the sun, but a lot less painful to his still aching head. He couldn't help but grin goofily in return.

"Now, as I understand it, you recently lost your... source of income."

"T'Father told you that?" Sid held his chin up, somewhat offended.

"Why, yes." The corners of her lips curled up further, "Please, don't be mad at him," she wrinkled her nose, "I do admit to coaxing a little. ...Quite a bit, if I'm honest." Lady Felicia carefully arranged her expression into something between apologetic and adorable.  
It seemed to have the desired effect as the boy -for she couldn't bring herself to see him as a man- shrugged and averted his gaze for a second.

Remembering himself, Sid crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes challenging. "Well, yeah, I'm out of a job at the moment. Why? You looking for someone?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," she smiled brilliantly. "I got this beautiful new car and my husband _insists_ I should get a driver for it."

Sid furrowed his brow at the cheeky little sports car parked behind her.

"Oh no, not that one." Lady Felicia waved her hand in its general direction without turning as she huffed in amusement. "It's a Rolls." She saw his eyes widen slightly, even though it was evident that he was trying to play it cool. "Come by the house tomorrow at ten. I presume you know how to get there?"

"Yeah, uh, sure, but-"

"-and then we'll get you fitted for a uniform."

"Uniform?" He blinked.

"Of course." She turned and walked to her car, "I bet we'll get along famously. Must dash, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait." Sidney watched her get behind the wheel. "I didn't even say yes yet."

"Oh Sidney," Lady Felicia shook her head, starting the motor, "One thing you will learn rather quickly," she slid sunglasses in place, "I rarely take no for an answer."

She waved at him and drove off, leaving him standing there with his mouth ajar for quite some time.  
...Angel.


	2. Chapter 2

Father Brown sighed heavily, leaning back in his swivel chair, throwing his pencil the short distance to the desk, "I still can't make it work. The roof will cave in any day now. We'll have to close the church."

"Nonsense." She waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head.

He tried to smile at her, failing miserably, "Oh, Lady Felicia, I wish you were right. But at this rate... I'm at my wits end."

Raising one perfectly manicured eyebrow, she leaned forward and teased, "I thought that could never happen."

"We do need a miracle," he bowed his head, his eyes firmly glued to the balance sheet in front of him, his shoulders slumped in utter defeat.

Seeing that there was no way of cheering him up, she stood to leave, "Well, you better start praying now, father," tucking her purse under her arm, she looked down at him, her melodic voice full of gentle optimism, "You never know; _He_ might listen after all."

"I didn't know your faith ran this deep," Father Brown turned in his seat and looked at her as she stopped in the doorway of his study.

"Oh, it does." She nodded and then added with a wink "Sometimes."

~+~

A few days later as he was sitting in the kitchen, nursing his tea, lost in thought, he looked up as his parish secretary stormed in.

"Father!"

"Mrs McCarthy, what is it?"

Clutching her hands over her heart, she beamed, "Oh, Father, it's a miracle!"

~+~

Standing at the door to his church after mass that day, he squinted against the sun and nodded at the people who left, bidding them goodbye.  
"Lady Felicia," he adressed her as she passed.

She stopped and smiled at him, "Father Brown."

"It appears you were right."

Folding her hands over her purse in front of her, she leaned her head to one side, an amused sparkle in her eyes, "I usually am, so you will have to specify."

He bent his head to hide his grin, clutched his bible between his hands and leaned in slightly before looking into her eyes. "We got our miracle."

She shrugged her slim shoulders with natural nonchalance, "Of course you did. _'The Lord will provide'_ after all."

"Or in this case," he looked at her over his glasses, "the _Lady_?"

Without missing a beat, she waived his remark off with a brilliant smile, "I haven't the faintest idea what you might be insinuating, father. Good day."

Watching her walk away, he smiled to himself. For a moment he wondered what she might have sold to put that much cash into the donation box, rather sure that her husband was oblivious to it.  
In the end, it didn't really matter. Glancing up at the sky, he thanked The Lord for giving Lady Felicia Montague such a big, kind heart.


End file.
